NORTHWEST COLORADO NEWS AND SPORTS FOR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2ND

HUME TO BE ONLY SHERIFF CANDIDATE ON REPUBLICAN BALLOT

Monday’s deadline for turning in a petition to get on the primary election ballot came and went without any filings in Moffat County. Those who went through the County Assembly process, and received between 10% and 29% support didn’t make the ballot, but had the opportunity to petition on. The only candidatewho qualified to do so was Larry Dalton, who was running for Moffat County Sheriff. Because Dalton did not file a petition, K.C. Hume will be the only candidate to appear on the Republican ballot for Moffat County Sheriff. The Primary election will take place in June. Pictured: K.C. Hume

FRACKING/WIND ENERGY CREDITS ADDRESSED BY LAWMAKERS

Congressman Cory Gardner is warning of the downfalls of approving a fracking ban in Colorado. While there are no immediate plans, Gardner says it’s possible we may see a ballot question in November, asking for a ban on hydraulic fracturing in the state. Gardner says fracking has been around for over 60 years and has a proven safety record. He says halting that practice could cost the state 93,000 jobs and $12 billion in lost GDP. That’s not including the billion dollars in tax revenue lost, money that is put toward education and infrastructure. In the meantime, Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennett are pushing the U.S. Senate Finance committee to include the Wind Production Tax Credit in its tax extenders package. The committee has said it would not be a part of the initial package. Udall said the credits need to be included to assure a balanced approach to energy. However, when Udall was asked whether he supported the fracking ban, the question went unanswered.

SIGN-UP DEADLINE PASSES, JUST OVER 250,000 COLORADANS GET HEALTH INSURANCE

More than a quarter-million Coloradans got health insurance in time to comply with the new health law. The state health insurance exchange said yesterday that almost 119,000 bought private insurance and another 156,000 signed up for Medicaid. Colorado has already met baseline federal enrollment goals. But the state is short of its most optimistic projections. It was not immediately clear how many of the people buying private insurance were uninsured before open enrollment began in October. Folks who missed the Monday deadline to even begin signing up for insurance will now have to wait until November to buy subsidized insurance in most cases. The Obama administration said yesterday that a little over 7 million people nationwide signed up for health care through insurance exchanges. Congressman Cory Gardner issued a statement reminding the Obama Administration that they predicted twice that number by this time. He said, “Today President Obama and Senator Mark Udall celebrate meeting just half of the original expectation of 14 million Americans covered this year through the Obamacare exchanges. While President Obama and Senator Udall cheer for last place, millions who lost insurance or whose premiums spiked will not be celebrating. They will be working hard to try to afford healthcare for themselves and their families.”

GOVERNOR UNDER FIRE FOR POSSIBLE IMPROPER SPENDING

Colorado’s ethics panel will deliberate in public later this month about a complaint that the governor improperly accepted funds from a partisan group that has supported him in elections. At a hearing Monday, attorneys for Governor John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, argued that he did not violate state law by allowing the Democratic Governors Association to pay his costs for an Aspen conference last summer. The conservative Compass Colorado group says the governor violated the law’s gift ban provision. The Colorado Independent Ethics Commission says it will deliberate on the matter in public at its April 14th meeting. Last year, the panel fined Secretary of State Scott Gessler, a Republican, $1,514 for using funds from his office’s discretionary account for travel to GOP events in Florida. Pictured: John Hickenlooper

LAWMAKERS APPROVE “DALLAS BUYERS CLUB” BILL

Legislation allowing terminally ill people access to unapproved drugs, a so-called “Dallas Buyers Club” bill, has unanimously passed the Colorado House. Lawmakers voted 65-0 yesterday to approve the bill, which lets terminally ill patients try drugs that are still completing clinical trials and haven’t been approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Similar bills are pending in several states. Some doctors oppose so-called “Right To Try” legislation, saying it could bypass important safeguards. But supporters argue doctors still would need to approve the use of investigational products. The Senate will now consider the bill. “Dallas Buyers Club” is a film about a determined AIDS patient who smuggled treatments from Mexico because they weren’t cleared for use in the United States.

GARDNER INTRODUCES BILL TO PAY BACK STATES FOR RUNNING NATIONAL PARKS DURING SHUTDOWN

Yesterday, Representative Cory Gardner (CO-4) introduced the Shutdown Windfall Reimbursement Act, legislation that would direct the National Park Service (NPS) to reimburse states who provided funds to temporarily reopen national parks during the October 2013 government shutdown. Six states across the U.S., including Colorado, spent upwards of $2 million to keep parks open during this time. Once the government reopened, Congress retroactively refunded all federal agencies, including the NPS. However, the NPS kept the $2 million from the states in addition to a backfill payment from the government funding bill. Gardner says The NPS now has a surplus of $2 million that rightfully belongs to these states, $201,500 of which belongs to Colorado. Pictured: Cory Gardner